How to Help Make Your Washington DC, MD Home More Energy Efficient

July 22, 2014

Just like our summer months here in Washington DC, energy efficiency remains a hot and trendy topic. If you’re a homeowner working on home renovation or remodeling projects, you know just how valuable it is to add “green” products to your home.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since the ENERGY STAR program began, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.

The easiest way to tell which products are energy efficient is by finding the blue ENERGY STAR® label on the product’s package. Products earn ENERGY STAR certification upon meeting certain efficiency requirements laid out by the EPA.

Did you know, for a typical home, replacing single-pane windows with ENERGY STAR-certified windows can save you $101-$538 a year on energy expenses according to ENERGY STAR's website on benefits? It’s true – and according to energystar.gov, they can
reduce your carbon footprint by an average of 12 percent nationwide, compared to non-certified products.

Those numbers are pretty convincing, and our Washington DC Showroom has what you need to achieve similar results in your own home. A few things make Pella windows and doors stand out:

Our triple-pane
glass options block up to 95 percent of UV rays from the sun.

Aside from window replacement, other appliances – big and small – can add ”green” to your home. For example, upgrading a pre-1994 washing machine with an ENERGY STAR-certified model can save a homeowner $40 a year on utility expenses will save on average 1,300 gallons over its lifetime, according to ENERGY STAR's website on dishwashers.

For a low cost way to save, you only have to change your light bulbs. ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs will use 70 to 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and are an ideal way to put the cash that would be spent on utility bills back into your pocket. And while we’re on the subject of lighting…a great alternative to using artificial lighting is maximizing the natural light in your home. Windows let in natural daylight, so you don’t have to have as many lights on during the day. Open up those blinds instead of flipping the light switch.

The more “green” features you put in your home, the more you can enjoy a return on investment shown through energy savings and decreased energy bills. And remember that for large-scale replacements like windows and appliances, the cost of the initial product is decreased over time through your energy savings.

Visit your Pella Showroom in Washington DC or call (202) 810-6799 for more on Pella’s full line of highly efficient window and door products.